You will find a thoughtful display of design work at this year’s Brit Insurance Designs exhibition at the Design Museum. I’ve popped in to the exhibit for the last five years and when I headed over on a trip to London it didn’t disappoint, especially on the graphic design and interactive front.
There were so many interesting entries from the world of graphics that it was difficult to choose a favourite piece, so I’ll share my top three.
Flipboard is introduced as the world’s first social magazine, aiming to improve the way information is accessed and shared across social networks. Readers create their own content, based on their own interests, and digest information from Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Google Reader quickly and effectively.
At a time when information is moving so quickly it’s not surprising that Flipboard has received recognition. If like us you’ve got a passion for sharing and collaborating this app will appeal to you. Download Flipboard.
Unit Editions by Tony Brook and Adrian Shaugnessy
I’ve been a fan of Adrian Shaugnessy since my good friend Alan gave me a copy of ‘How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul’. (I’ll let you in on whether I’ve lost my soul or not another time.) Tony Brook recently spoke at the Design Museum’s Designer Night with Alain de Botton and GraphicDesign& so I was aware of his work. The combined efforts of these prolific designers has resulted in the publication of Unit Editions, a series of books for graphic designers.
Beautifully crafted and collaborative in nature, this publishing venture will appeal to anyone who’s interested in quality design and production standards. Their creative take on texts and commentaries reminded me of how some of today’s design magazines used to be, you know those ones that have lost their edge and given in to everything there is to know about the world of design in general.
I Wonder by Marian Bantjes
Marian Bantjes beautifully and intelligently decorated book, I Wonder, was the highlight of the exhibition for me. The cover is hardbound with a black satin finish, with a gold, embossed pattern and silver writing. The book examines the role of wonder in design and the typography on the inner pages has been crafted in a really smart way. If you’re into foiling and typography it’ll be right up your street.
I’m yet to read the book, but look forward to receiving my copy, which you can get your mitts on here.
The quality of the graphics award entries was top notch and the winner of the graphics award was Homemade is Best, by Forsman & Bodenfors for IKEA. I didn’t think it was the strongest entry but loved the concept. What’s not to like if you love baking?!
The exhibition finishes on 7 August so this is your last chance to check it out if you happen to be in London!